The Grenada gazette., 1887-06-11
the WEDDING RING.
Som. Notes Of Interest Concerning !"
Antiquity and Importance


Some Notes os interest Oo"os
Antiquity and Importance
From time immemorial, when men
and women have plighted their troth'
a ring has been the token. either ex'
changed by both or given by the lover
tn his mistress. as a sign Of their en-
cacement. In some nations this be-
trothal is considered as binding as the
marriage ceremony itselfand is made
the occasion of rites almost as solemn
and important The ring. too, to Do
used at this time must be particularly
elaborate and even Of q certain value
This latter point used to be rigidly ad.
hcred to, with even the matter OF
weight added, circumstance which
led 10 some engagement rings being
not only Of extremely beautiful work.
manship, but of such massive make as
to be rather cumbrous. church or
like building sometimes protrudlns
from the front of the ring. An ancient
engagement ring which served a three
fold purpose, of most ingenious shape
and form, was known as the gimmal,
or linked ring. The writer OF these
lines knows ono such ring, which must
have passed through strange and man
fold scenes in its time, since first 1t
played its part in some long bygone
betrothal. It was composed OF three
circles of gold. SO constructed that
when it closed it represented solid
ring, with the device in front OF two
hands clasping heart but capable OF
being opened and split apart so that
three rings are made of the one. AT
the bethrotal ceremony in which a
cimmal was used the two outer rings
were taken by the contracting parties
each having one band. and the centre
or notched ring was retained by the
witness of the bond, who ut the time
appointed delivered up the connecting
link, which was then attached to the
two outside pieces and used as a mar
riage ring at the religious ceremony.
Wedding rings ut this period were
not the plain bars of gold they are now;
sometimes they were adorned with
precious stones, but more frequently
the clasped hands and heart symbolized
the significance Of the marriage state.
and posies or words engraven inside
breathed an appropriate sentiment re.
spccting the token. Here is one sim
gularly suitable to wedding ring,
adorned with clasped hands: "Not
two, but one. till life be gone"
In some places the wedding ring was
an heirloom in the family. passing
down from mother to daughter, from
generation to generation. the mother
surrendering the ring to the first girl
in the family who married. This cus-
tom obtained in Galway, and probably
does still among the fisher folk of that
wild district the device of the ring
usually being the common one OF the
two hands, surmounted by crowned
heart. The fourth finger Of the left
hand, counting the thumb as the first,
has among most nations been chosen
as the wedding finger, owing to a
popular belief that a nerve in this par
ticular finger communicated directly
with the heart. 1t was also for the
same reason, held to possess mystic
powers of healing, and still is used by
some people in stirring up medicine Or
like potions, a relic of the old Greek
and Roman. belief that no poison or
noxious element in draught could
escape detection when agitated by this
finger, which would Immediately dis.
cover the 'unfriendly element" by
means of a warning spasm commune
Gated by the heart. London Queen.
-1
NEW STYLE wATCAES